How to say “boss” or “supervisor” in Japanese | 上司 (じょうし、jōshi)

30.11.2023

The Japanese vocabulary「上司 (じょうし、jōshi)」means “boss” or “supervisor.” Please learn the pronunciation and the example sentences.

Japanese Vocabulary and the Meaning

Key Word上司
Hiraganaじょうし
Romaji Readingjōshi
English Meaningboss, supervisor

The Correct Japanese Pronunciations

Please learn the pronunciation by watching the attached video. You can also learn example sentences.

Our main YouTube channel: Ichiyo’s Japanese YouTube Channel
Our sub-YouTube Channel (Japanese vocabulary videos): Ichiyo’s Subchannel

The Example Japanese Sentences

It is important to have skills in both non-honorific and honorific languages in order to use Japanese correctly.

Japanese Sentence上じょう司しは毎日まいにち弁当べんとうを持もってくる。
Romaji ReadingJōshi wa Mainichi bentō o motte kuru.
English MeaningMy boss brings packed lunch every day. (Plain Form)
Japanese Sentence上司は毎日弁当を持ってきます。
Romaji ReadingJōshi wa Mainichi bentō o motte kimasu.
English MeaningMy boss brings packed lunch every day. (Polite Form)
Japanese Sentence前まえに勤つとめていた会社かいしゃの上じょう司しに偶然ぐうぜん会あった。
Romaji ReadingMae ni tsutomete ita kaisha no jōshi ni gūzen atta.
English MeaningI ran into my boss from my previous company. (Plain Form)
Japanese Sentence前に勤めていた会社の上司に偶然会いました。
Romaji ReadingMae ni tsutomete ita kaisha no jōshi ni gūzen aimashita.
English MeaningI ran into my boss from my previous company. (Polite Form)
Japanese Sentence上じょう司しにコピーを頼たのまれた。
Romaji ReadingJōshi ni kopī o tanoma reta.
English MeaningI was asked by my boss to make a copy. (Plain Form)

The subject is “I” and it is omitted in this sentence.

Japanese Sentence上司にコピーを頼まれました。
Romaji ReadingJōshi ni kopī o tanoma remashita.
English MeaningI was asked by my boss to make a copy. (Polite Form)
To Have Correct Japanese Language Skills

We teach Japanese to non-native Japanese learners. Judging from our experience, 90% of Japanese learners use incorrect Japanese and often speak rudely, even though they have lived in Japan for many years.

Therefore, we created two services. One is our “private Japanese conversation lesson” and the other is the “Daily Japanese Mail Support” service.

In the “private Japanese conversation lesson,” you can talk with a native Japanese teacher. Let us practice conversation together!

private Japanese conversation lesson

In the “Daily Japanese Mail Support" service, we will check your Japanese using email daily. Please show us the Japanese sentences that you wrote, your pronunciations, your handwritten Japanese characters, and so on. You can also ask us questions about Japanese.

Daily Japanese Mail Support

If you are a member of our private lesson or “Daily Japanese Mail Support,” we can check and correct your Japanese every day.

The details are on our website: https://ichiwebsite.com/

Human and Society
Ichiyo's Japanese Learning Site